Blind Sided
by PSUbrat
Summary: Buffy attends a football match in London with the Immortal, but is shocked to see someone from her past who is not only alive, but out in the daylight as well…


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Title:** Blind Sided  
**Author:** PSUbrat  
**Rating:** R  
**Disclaimer: **These characters belong to Joss Whedon and any other large conglomerate that he sells them to (yeah, he's the pimp in all of this); I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
**Spoilers:** Everything in the Buffyverse up to and including the final episode of AtS.  
**Pairing(s):** Buffy/The Immortal, Buffy/Spike  
**Dedication: **To Heiko for winning my writing services during the Writer Con auction.  
**Requested Items:  
**- Location: London, England  
- Time: Now  
- Premise Buffy / Spike accidental meeting  
- How about including chocolate (Cadburys) or pastries?  
- Throw in a reference to or even attendance at a football game  
- Just for fun... an appearance by Nina (hey.. you'd have an American Werewolf in London ;) and Angel / Puppet Angel?  
- Being the UK, you never know who they might run into ;-)  
**Summary:** Buffy attends a football match in London with the Immortal, but is shocked to see someone from her past who is not only alive, but out in the daylight as well…

**_Blind Sided_**

The roar of the crowd after Arsenal scored the go-ahead goal could be heard for miles around the stadium and the vibrations easily could have been enough to cause the needle on the Richter scale to jump noticeably. Despite the enthusiastic atmosphere and the beautiful day, the petite blonde known as Buffy Summers, sat in her seat, bored out of her mind. Soccer, wait, no, _football_ here in Europe – as she was constantly reminded by the Immortal – wasn't something she cared for one bit. It was dull and no matter how many matches he took her to, she was never going to understand what was such a big deal about it. It was just a bunch of guys kicking a ball around a big field and patting each other on the ass whenever something went their way. Plus the rules were hard to follow, particularly that damn off sides thing.

"Think of it as a moving blue line from hockey," he had told her during one of their first matches when she had asked about the linesman continuously putting up his flag and stopping play. Whatever. She didn't watch hockey either. Just when was he going to learn that sports wasn't her thing – unless it involved slaying a demon or a vampire who had managed to find its way on the team? Now _that_ was fun, she thought with a smile, even if she had slayed a whole Italian team a few months back. How was she supposed to have known that they were soccer players? They'd been out feeding on the locals when she'd stumbled upon them, therefore, in her eyes, they were fair game for slaying. So their food for the evening had been deliberate sacrifices, so what? She hadn't known that at the time, and even if she had, it wouldn't have stopped her from doing her job.

Needless to say, she and the Immortal were no longer welcome in the Tuscany area, which was just fine by her. That whole leaning tower of Pizza was stupid anyway. Who cared if the building leaned? Eventually it would just crumble to the ground and become "Big Pile of Leaning Tower". What would they have to attract the tourists then, huh? Nothing but rocks, and it would serve them right for sacrificing innocent lives like that! Stuff like that made her blood boil. Stupid Tuscans or whatever the hell they were called. She hoped they all got eaten or attacked by the mother of all demons…and that she got to watch. She wouldn't even bother to lift a finger to help their barbarian asses.

After her little social faux pas there, they had left Italy and toured around Europe for a while, finally coming to rest in London. Though it wasn't home, the city was nice, if not a little crowded, and she enjoyed the shopping – and slaying – that was at her fingertips. In a way it reminded her a bit of Sunnydale with all of the mystical and demony-type things going on. At least the Hellmouth here was dormant, a big plus in her book. No apocalypses to be worrying about anytime soon…something a girl could get used to. Then of course there was the whole being back in the same city as Giles. While she had lived in Rome with Dawn, and the other potentials they had found, she realized she had missed him a lot, more than she had thought she would, even after everything that had gone down during the final weeks in Sunnydale. Their relationship had been strained; almost irreparable, but now he treated her as the strong, independent adult she had become. He never questioned her decisions anymore, not since she had come up with that plan to share her powers; instead he supported her choices and respected her opinions. It was nice to be on equal footing with someone she thought of as her father.

Maybe it was being responsible for Dawn and for the lives of all those young girls, both in Sunnydale and elsewhere, that had really made her more mature, more understanding and more independent. Or maybe she had finally grown up. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to question it. For the first time in her life, not only did she feel comfortable in her own skin, but she was also at peace with her calling. She just wished that it hadn't taken this long for her to find that comfort zone – things could have been so different for her and Dawn, and the rest of the gang, otherwise. Oh well. No use beating herself up over it. Time to move on and enjoy life, which is exactly what she was doing now that most of the girls were properly trained, had Watchers of their own, and Dawn was going to college. With all of those things in place, she was pretty much permitted to go and do whatever she wanted until she was needed again. Sort of like now, attending the soccer game with her boyfriend while other Slayers around the world worried about apocalypses.

Stifling a yawn, she smiled sheepishly as the Immortal gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She half listened as he made some comment about a player who was due for a goal since he hadn't scored in ten months or something like that. Big deal. Did he slay demons and vampires and other beasties for a living? If he did, then she'd be really impressed, but considering he was just a soccer player, she couldn't muster enough emotion to really care. As Willow used to say, bored now. Time to go amuse herself elsewhere, maybe take a bathroom break or buy a soda – anything to keep from falling asleep. Right as she was getting out of her seat to make a dash to the ladies room, Arsenal scored another goal and the crowd went wild again. So much for getting away now, she'd never be able to make her way through the insanity.

"See Buffy," the Immortal shouted in his thick Scottish accent, "I told you you'd learn to enjoy it!" He kissed her on her forehead before he went back to cheering along with the masses.

She plastered on her best fake smile, but said nothing. For all of his smooth talking and charming ways, she couldn't help but wonder if evil lurked just below the surface. No one could be _that_ perfect and not be some type of demon or something. At least that was her theory and one of the reasons she stuck around. Well, that and the amazing sex that made her toes curl in ways she'd never thought possible. Although, she wasn't sure that being dragged to sporting event after sporting event was worth it, even for the mind-blowing sex. Neither Spike nor Angel, or even Riley for that matter, had ever pushed the sports issue. Yeah, Riley had been a jock and all, but he'd been content to attend the outings on his own. And as for Spike and Angel, they had that whole sunlight allergy to contend with, thus making it hard for either of them to get involved in team sports…unless said team sport was pummeling the hell out of demons – or each other. The last thought brought another smile to her lips.

It had been a while since she had thought about the two vampires; especially after everything she'd learned when she arrived in the city. She and the Immortal had gotten into London a few days after the battle in Los Angeles and when Giles pulled her aside to brief her on the outcome, she had sat in stunned silence, unable to process the information. It almost felt like she'd had an out of body experience as Giles explained that Wesley hadn't made it out alive and that the fate of Angel – and for that matter, Spike – was unknown at that time. She remembered how her stomach had dropped and her knees had gone weak. If she hadn't been sitting down, she would have been on the floor in a heap. Spike? He had been alive? How? It wasn't until after she had sputtered and shouted obscenities and threatened to kill the blond vamp herself that Giles informed her that Spike had been brought back from the dead by someone who was working against Wolfram and Hart, someone by the name of Lindsey McDonald. She didn't know who he was, but her first reaction was to go hunt down the son of a bitch, get the low down on how he'd done it and then find out why no one had informed her. But her anger had been quickly diffused when Giles explained to her that Lindsey had been killed as well. Double damn.

After she realized that she'd never get any answers as to what happened with Spike, she vowed never to think about either of the vampires again, especially after Andrew had told her that both of them had been in Rome before the battle had happened. Apparently they had believed she was in imminent danger from her boyfriend. Bastards. Now she was angry again and needed to go for a walk. She would have tried talking to the Immortal about how she was feeling, but he was too absorbed in the damn game and besides, even mentioning Spike and Angel's names around him made him go crazy. When she had pressed him about the animosity, he told her that he'd had several run-ins with them in the past, but that it shouldn't concern her. According to him, all that mattered now was that they were together. For a brief second, she had wondered if the only reason he was with her was because he felt like he was keeping her away from them. Men. They were all alike whether they were immortal or not.

Once the cheering stopped and the chanting started, Buffy excused herself and went in search of a washroom. She needed a break from the screaming throng of people, and from the Immortal and his charming ways. She just needed some space to think and to settle down. If it hadn't been the middle of the day, she would have gone out slaying to relieve her growing discontent, but in the meantime, she'd just go in search of some Cadbury chocolate – not that crap that they tried to pass off as chocolate back home in America, but the good stuff…the stuff that melted in your mouth and chased away your blues. Chocolate could solve any emotional problem, at least that's what her mom used to tell her, and hence the reason that all that cocoa was kept in the house.

As she was walking around the concessions concourse, she saw a flash of bleached blond hair and stopped in her tracks. If it had just been the hair, she wouldn't have slowed down, but there was black leather too. And to top it off, that tingling sensation that she knew so well was returning. Spike. It had to be him, but yet it couldn't be since it was daytime. She had to be hallucinating; images brought on by her thinking about him earlier. Yeah, she was sure that was the case. But why was her spidey sense still going off? He could be anywhere in the world – if he was still alive – and the chances of him being here, where she was, had to be astronomical. Then she saw a flash of blond again, this time slightly further away before it disappeared into the crowd. Quickly she looked around, trying to locate the person again, but there were too many fans milling around for her to see clearly.

* * *

Spike had felt her long before he saw her. The Slayer. His Buffy. Of the thousands of places on earth she could be, she was there at the Arsenal game sitting not five rows in front of them and off to the left in the next section. At first he thought his instincts were deceiving him. There were plenty of little Buffy clones running around now to mess up a vamp's senses for sure, but this was different. This was that tingling he got down his spine whenever she was around. He tried his hardest not to look for her, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he began searching the crowd. After a few moments he spotted her, sitting next to the Immortal and looking bored beyond belief. The sight of her with his enemy threw him, making him feel as if he'd been punched in the stomach over and over. Images of finding Dru and Darla after the Immortal had seduced them, flooded his mind and made him angrier. Of all the people that Buffy had to move on with, why did it have to be that git?

Turning his attention back to the game, he swore to himself. Not now. Not after everything he'd been through the last year. Why would the Powers finally see fit to throw them together, especially in this place? It was ironic that the one place in the whole world he'd never consider her to be was the one place she was. Silently he willed his mind to not think about her or the fact that she was with someone else, but now that he knew she was here, he couldn't stay focused on the game. Why hadn't tall, dark and brooding sensed her yet? If their love was so eternal, why wasn't Angel tripping over himself to get to her? Spike sat back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, contemplating exactly what that might mean. Finally he decided it meant nothing. Why? Because Angel was happy with Nina and even if he knew Buffy was here, he wouldn't do anything about it – especially since Buffy was with the Immortal.

Eventually his eyes wandered over to her again. She was the flame to his moth and no matter how hard he tried not to get burned; he knew it was a losing battle. Her light was just too bright for him to resist. Quietly he watched her and the way her body spoke to him. He noticed that despite the boredom, she looked healthy and happy. Her skin glowed in the sunlight, making his thoughts drift to images of his hands moving over her body, holding her, caressing her, kissing her. He loved her. Never stopped, actually, just put it on hold. And now he wanted her all over again and it was killing him. She was so beautiful, almost as if he was seeing her for the first time.

It was true that something sure was agreeing with her. Maybe the Immortal had been good for her after all. Spike certainly couldn't begrudge her happiness. The realization was liberating, if not somewhat sobering. She had gone on with her life and really, wasn't that exactly why he had done what he had underneath Sunnydale High? So that she could live on and be happy in life? It was, even if it was killing him inside to see her with someone else. At least it wasn't Peaches, a small consolation, but a consolation nonetheless. The last thought kept him somewhat upbeat until he saw the Immortal turn and give Buffy a peck on the cheek. The urge to run over there and rip the bastard apart surged up in him, his demon screaming to be let loose.

"You're angry." Illyria stated, turning towards Spike and tilting her head to the side. She may have looked like Fred for the moment, but she was still the ancient being that took over the younger woman's body. "It is rolling off your form in waves. Would you like to go kill something?"

He looked at her, trying to hide his emotions. "What? No, I'm fine. Just really into the game is all." Damn her for being so perceptive. At least she and Nina were buffering him and Angel; otherwise Angel would have been asking questions as well.

"Is there a problem we should know about?" Nina asked as she lifted her head from Angel's shoulder to look at Spike.

"No," Spike replied, pretending like nothing was bothering him other than his team losing. "Never was, just Illyria wanting to go kill something as usual."

"Though it is true that I would like to inflict pain upon this puny race, I have no desire to do so at this time. The clashing of these feeble-minded humans intrigues me."

Nina frowned and nudged Angel to join the conversation. "So where's the problem then?"

Spike rolled his eyes. Couldn't the bird just leave him be already?

Angel took his eyes off the game to give Spike the once over. "I'm sure everything's fine, Nina. Spike's probably just being a sore loser. What's wrong Spike? Can't handle that your team's down and you're going to owe me a whole lot of beers?"

Spike growled. "No! I'm good for it and you know it. They'll come back and you'll be the one buyin'." Wanker. Angel just loved pulling his chain and now, as if it wasn't bad enough his team was losing, the bastard was rubbing it in. Why did he continue to roam around the world with this lot? He could be off savin' it on his own.

It was a minute or so after he returned his attention to the game that Arsenal scored their next goal. He growled and stood up to leave. His team was now down three to one and he needed a smoke in the worst way. Stupid Man U trading away Becks. Serves them right for losing again.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked as Spike moved past him and into the aisle.

"For a smoke and maybe a walk. Is that okay with you, _Dad_?" snarked Spike.

"Whatever, Spike. Just be back before the end of the game or we'll leave without you."

"Aye, aye captain." Spike said with a salute and a roll of his eyes, eliciting a scowl from the other vampire.

With a smug, satisfied grin, Spike made his way up the concrete steps to the concourse. When he got to the food court, he briefly thought about seeing if they had some spicy wings, but his need for a cigarette was greater than the growling in his stomach. Instead, he headed towards the closest stairwell. Suddenly, he stopped; he had this overwhelming feeling that Buffy was close by. Quickly he looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of blonde hair, but there were just too many people around for him to pinpoint her location.

"Bloody hell. You're losing it," he said to no one in particular as he continued to make his way to the stairwell. "She's still back in her seat hanging all over the idiot."

* * *

As Spike reached the stairwell, he noticed the no-smoking sign posted above it. Snorting, he pushed open the door. He wasn't going to let a little thing like a sign keep him from doing what he wanted. After all, he had once been a big bad and that should count for something.

The stairwell was well lighted with fluorescent tubes buzzing overhead. Annoying little gits, Spike thought as he wandered inside. Though most normal humans couldn't hear the noise, he could and it was downright bothersome. But, like the sign outside, it wasn't going to deter him from having his smoke. He needed one, to clear his head, to rid his mind of a certain blonde vampire slayer that was encroaching on his thoughts.

Figuring the best place to sneak a quick drag would be half a flight down; he slowly descended the steps while fishing for his pack of cigarettes. He had no idea why he took up the habit again. It wasn't like it was the first thing he'd done after becoming corporeal again and it certainly wasn't the last thing he did before the battle in Los Angeles, either. Although, it was sometime shortly there after that that he'd taken it up for what seemed like the millionth time. Old habits and all that. For all he knew, it might possibly kill him now. Shrugging, he continued to search his pockets.

Once he found his cigarettes, he pulled one out and leaned back against the wall, savoring the smell of the rich tobacco. That's when he heard the door open and close a few seconds later. Shit. He was going to either get busted or someone was doing exactly what he was doing. He stood still and closed his eyes, listening as the person shuffled around, almost as if they were hesitant and unsure about what they were doing. When the person stopped moving, he figured he was safe to continue on with his mission. Pulling the silver lighter that Nina had bought him out of his pocket; he leaned back against the wall and flicked it on. But just as he was about to light up, that tingling sensation started again, this time stronger.

Throwing his unlit cigarette on the floor, he snapped the lighter closed with an audible click and then shoved it back in his pocket. Slowly and quietly, he started towards the stairs. He had only taken two steps forward when the lights went out and someone jumped him, sending him to the ground.

* * *

They hit the landing hard and rolled down the half flight of stairs, each fighting for control over the other – hands grabbing, legs locking around torsos – as they hit every step in the darkened stairwell on the way down to the next level. Their strengths were evenly matched, but when they finally came to rest, Spike was on the bottom, his attacker straddling him and pinning his hands behind his head.

"Bloody hell, Slayer…" he began, but was cut off as she crushed her lips to his. Not exactly what he expected and for a moment he was shocked, unsure of what to do. On one hand he wanted to pull her down, ravage her mouth with his and then shag the ever-living daylights out of her. On the other hand, the former Victorian gentleman in him wanted to push her off and ask her if she had lost her bloody mind. While his brain was struggling with his heart, she let go of his hands and pulled back. The look on her face made his now beating heart stop.

"You…you don't want me?" She managed to choke out while tears began pooling in her eyes. This wasn't what she had anticipated. She wasn't sure what she expected, maybe the two of them coming to blows, but not this indecision or hesitation.

"What? No!" He growled, trying to pull her back down to him. Her tears sliced through him worse than any weapon ever could. "I just…is this what you…am I really what you want, Buffy?" he asked, his eyes pleading with hers for the truth.

"How can you even ask that question, Spike?" She yelled as she scrambled to her feet. "_I_ should be the one asking _you_ that question, don't you think?" Her tone was hard and cold. "I was the one who told you how I felt before you died in Sunnydale. I was the one that had to leave knowing that the person I loved was giving up their life for me. For the world."

"Buffy…"

"Don't you Buffy me, Spike. I loved you and you shrugged it off, acted like it didn't matter after everything that we went through, after everything that happened the night before."

"That's not true!"

"And then I had to hear it from Giles that you were brought back from the dead and never once did you try to contact me, Spike. Not once. What am I supposed to think from that?"

Spike stood, trying to reel in his emotions as he watched the pain and disappointment flicker across her face. "Please, Luv, don't do this. There were reasons for why I didn't try to find you. I wanted to…"

"Then why didn't you?" she snarled, hugging herself tightly like a small, scared child. "I loved you," she whispered.

He slowly stepped closer to her, afraid that if he was too bold she would bolt and he'd never see her again, that they would never work this out. "Buffy," he begged. "Look at me, please." His heart sunk further when she refused to lift her eyes to his. "Please," he begged again as he got down on his knees in front of her.

She turned her head and looked down at him through her lashes, the tears still streaming steadily down her cheeks. The hurt was so overwhelming that she wanted to hit him, to beat him like she had done so many times in the past. _You always hurt the ones you love, pet._ But, as his words came back to her from that awful night in the alley by the police station, she crumbled to her knees sobbing. "I loved you…"

"I know," Spike replied, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. He was surprised that she didn't fight it, that she complied so easily. He felt like the biggest arse that ever lived for reducing her to this. She was so much better than that. "I'm so sorry, Buffy. Things were, well I bollocksed things up good, didn't I?" He felt her nod against his shoulder and it made him smile wearily. Slowly he pushed her back so that he could look into her eyes once again. Absently, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before he continued. "Buffy, luv, I want you to know that the first thing I tried to do when I came back was go to you. It's true!" He asserted as he saw the doubt cloud her eyes. "You can ask Peaches if you want. I wasn't corporeal. I was bound to Wolfram and Hart. Every time I tried to leave, I was snapped right back to the offices of Hell incorporated. By the time I was back to my old self, I wanted to stay and help the gang. I almost left for Europe to find you, but something kept me there. I don't know, call it a sense of duty to the Powers or whatever, but I just couldn't leave. They needed my help. Besides, I had myself convinced that if I did go, if I did find you, that it would only cheapen the sacrifice I made for you."

Buffy sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That's just stupid, Spike."

He laughed as his hand rested on her cheek. "Yeah, I know that now, but as I once said, I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain."

She snorted in agreement and then smiled. "I missed you, Spike. I thought about you every day and every night for months after Sunnydale."

"But you went on."

"I did. Because I had to," she said, nodding. "I had Slayers to find and a sister to look after. I had to live and I did, because you made that possible and I knew that's what you would have wanted for me. So I did. I went on. And then I met…"

"Don't say it," he pleaded, closing his eyes and trying to push away the thoughts of her and the Immortal being together. "Don't say it."

"Spike, I went on because I didn't know you were alive. If you had just let me know…a phone call, an e-mail, something…I would have come to you. I would have been by your side in a second. I wouldn't have turned to him."

Something in her voice made him open his eyes. A small inflection of the way she said 'him'. It gave him hope and he looked at her in amazement. "You don't love him." It was more of a statement than a question.

She shook her head. "No. I don't."

"But you look so happy, Buffy. It's obvious that me not being in your life has been a positive for you."

"Stupid vampire," she replied, shaking her head again. "When are you going to get it through your thick head that I'm in love with you? I love you and only you."

He searched her face earnestly and found only truth written there. Without another thought, he placed his hands gently on her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

Quickly the kiss deepened as they poured every ounce of their feelings into it. Their tongues battled and intertwined as hands began to explore flesh. Buffy pushed Spike against the wall and pressed herself to him, feeling his hardness and the heat between them grow. They wanted each other like they had wanted no other – completely. Mind. Body. Spirit. They belonged together. There was no use denying it or fighting it any longer.

Spike turned them around so that Buffy's back was against the wall now. Leave it to the Slayer to wear a skirt to a sporting event was all that his mind could process as he slowly ran his hand up her leg, pausing as he reached the softness of her inner thigh. He heard her moan against him and the scent of her arousal sent his demon into a frenzy. Battling his demon for control was something he had become used to over the hundred plus years of being a vampire, but today he wanted to let it loose on her. He wanted to take her as his in every way possible. Not now, though. Soon. Very soon. Instead of giving in to his demon, he gave into his passion.

Before she knew what he was doing, he had shredded her thong and spread her legs apart. If it hadn't been for his strong arms and the wall holding her up, she didn't think she would still be standing – not with the dizzying array of sounds and colors that engulfed her. She moaned as she felt him slip two fingers inside her, his thumb flicking over her clit. Stars burst behind her eyes as he followed that up with a warm mouth on her right nipple. Arching towards him, she began to call out his name as the waves of her orgasm crashed against her.

"Buffy…" he gasped as she somehow got it together enough to undo his belt, then the button and zipper on his jeans, freeing his cock. His legs went weak as he felt her hand close around him, pumping him hard until the pre-cum was everywhere and he felt himself teetering on the edge. "Buffy…stop…I'm too close…"

"Shhhh," she whispered in his ear and then kissed him deeply as she guided him to her folds.

Both stopped breathing for a second as he entered her. Their eyes locked on one another in understanding, both knowing that this act was only the beginning for them. Only the start of things to come.

Slowly they began moving, finding their rhythm almost immediately as only old lovers can. The urgency that they had started out with was now replaced with a gentleness and passion. Spike rested his head in the crook of her neck as he moved in and out of her. Each thrust bringing him closer to his release.

Buffy threw her head back, almost hard enough to knock herself out. If it hadn't been for Spike's hand being there, she would have done exactly that as her second, or third, orgasm took over her body with a jolt. "Spike! Oh god, Spike!"

"Buffy!" he growled as he pumped harder, slamming her against the wall again and again until he followed her over the precipice and into oblivion. "I love you," he whispered when their bodies finally came to rest. "I've loved you ever since I first saw you, Buffy, and I'll always love you."

She kissed him hard while she played with the curls that had come out from the sweat. That's when realization began peeking through the after glow. Spike was warm. He was breathing. The sun was out. She had _not _been hallucinating. Quickly she lifted her head from his shoulder and regarded him with a frown.

"What is it, luv?"

With trembling hands, she unbuttoned his shirt.

Instinctively, he knew what she was about to do so he placed a hand over hers and drew it to his chest, over his heart. He watched as her eyes widened. "Just like the tin man," he joked with a shy smile. "I went to Sunnydale to kill me a Slayer and instead I got a soul and found my heart."

"When? How?" Was all she was able to get out.

"After the battle in Los Angeles. There was this prophecy that a vampire with a soul would fight against the apocalypse and in return he would come alive or some such. Not exactly sure since that was always Wes's job to figure out. Anyway, Angel signed away his right to Shanshu so we all thought that it was done and gone, but after the battle I woke up in the sun. I was breathing. My heart beat…"

"So you're not a…"

"Vampire? Yeah, still am as far as I can tell. Blood lust isn't so much there anymore though. As best as we can figure, me and Peaches are a hybrid between human and vampire."

"Angel's like this too?" she asked incredulously.

Spike's shoulders slumped in response. After everything, she still loved the pouf. "Yeah, he is, but I have to warn you, before you go traipsing off after him, he's with someone now…"

"That's great," she said, lifting his chin with her hand. "I'm happy for him. Really."

"You are? You mean, you're not going to shag me and run back to him now that you know he can give you all that you wanted?"

She shook her head and laughed. "You're never going to get it through that thick skull of yours that I love you, are you?"

"Well," he started with a smirk, "maybe if you say it a few hundred more times."

"I think I can arrange that," she replied, kissing him deeply once again.

"Now what?" Spike asked, as he finally set her down on the ground, his hands never leaving contact with her body. He'd lost her once, he'd be damned if he was ever going to lose her again.

"I suppose I need to go talk to the Immortal," she said with a sigh, leaning her forehead against his. "It's the least I can do seeing as how I'm not going to be leaving here with him or going back to our place anytime soon."

Spike frowned. The thought of her having to face the Immortal after what they had just done didn't sit well with him. "You sure you're up for this, pet? We can always just leave him a note or something."

She smiled, but shook her head in response. "No. I can't do that to him. Besides, I don't want to sneak around. I love you. I want to be with you in the open. No more secrets."

"No more secrets," he said with a nod. "Good plan." He straightened up, tucked himself in and waited for her to finish smoothing her clothing before he held out his hand to her. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's go."

**_The End_**


End file.
